Zooming in and Out

By Audrey Lichter

I have spent most of the last 2 months 12 miles off the coast of Rhode Island on Block Island. This island community boasts over 20,000 people during the summer and fewer than 1,200 over the late fall through the winter and into the early spring. Over 5 ferries stream into the downtown during the summer as the community comes alive with day trippers and family vacationers.

Holding all this up is a dedicated and hard-working community that runs the businesses, protects the island’s natural resources, and governs the island’s inhabitants. Religious life is present, with 3 Churches: Catholic, Episcopalian, and Baptist… and then there is the fledgling Jewish congregation called the Sons and Daughters of Ruth. In existence for over 40 years, this group, which meets in the rectory of the Catholic church, recently lost its longtime coordinator and is struggling to fill his shoes. So amid the earth-shattering events in the Middle East, we on this small Island met this morning to discuss the future of our community of about 35 active members. Jewish life seems always to be like this. We zoom out to the greater issues facing the Jewish community globally, but often, what consumes us are the local and very close issues directly affecting our daily lives.

Does it matter what happens to this tiny community?

Every winter, I travel to another region in the United States and visit synagogues, JCCS, and Federations, many in small and out-of-the-way communities. I am always energized by the commitment to keep these small communities alive. I believe the answer is an astounding yes. We, the Jewish people, have survived because of each of us doing the work of keeping our communities alive and vibrant for as long as possible. This unbroken chain has sustained us for over 3,000  years. We must zoom out to the big issues facing the Jewish people, as well as zooming in to our particular community with its challenges and opportunities. So, after hearing from national security advisors on the bombing of Iran’s nuclear reactors, I left the meeting having pledged $500 to help cover our yearly $10,000 annual expenses and chairing a membership dues campaign.

Zooming in and out… It’s what sustains us as a Jewish people.